Reining In Damon
by Unicorn Filly
Summary: Post Bad Moon Rising. Damon knows if he doesn't do something he'll lose Elena completely, and he takes drastic measures to make sure that doesn't happen. WARNING: Corporal punishment, spanking, blood, sexual content, and violence.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me, and neither does this show or the books it's based on.

Reining In Damon

Chapter 1

Punish Me

By UnicornFilly

Damon couldn't stand the thought of losing Elena forever. What was wrong with him? She loved Stefan for pity's sake. They'd wouldn't ever be anything more than friends, and that could be difficult to live with.

But the thought of losing her completely, even if he never had more than her friendship, made his heart clench in agony.

He had to fix this somehow. No matter what it took.

Considering the conversation they had last night, Elena was very surprised to find Damon sitting on her bed when she walked into her room the next evening.

"We need to talk." He looked very serious and uncomfortable, which wasn't like him, but Elena was too irritated to care.

"I thought we said all we needed to last night."

Damon waved that away. "Blah, blah, blah, you hate me, I lost you forever, yada yada."

Elena glared at him. "This isn't funny Damon."

"I know it's not." He bit his lip for a moment. "I don't know why, Elena, but I really don't want to lose you."

"That's not your choice to make. I really think you should leave Damon."

"Wait, Elena just hear me out, please? Then if you still want me to go I will."

Elena knew she should probably make him go, but the pleading look he gave her made her waver. Finally she sat down beside him with a sigh. "Fine. I'll give you a few minutes. That's it."

Damon seemed to gather his thoughts for a moment. "I know I've done some horrible, unforgivable things, I want to change, I do, but I need... your help."

"Why my help? Why not someone else?"

"Who else is there? Stefan and I are at each others throats half the time. Bonnie doesn't like me. Caroline hates me, with good reason but still... It has to be you Elena."

She scowled. "Exactly what do you want me to do Damon?"

"Rein me in. Be my conscience. Tell me when I'm about to do something evil or stupid. Elena you make me want to be... more human. You make me want to be a better person."

Elena looked into his eyes, surprised to see that he was serious. "Why me?"

"Because you're the most caring person I've ever met, and if _you_ give up on me, if you really think there's no hope for me, then I really am damned, and I might as well go into the sun and take my ring off."

"Don't say that!" Her eyes grew wide. For some reason the thought of him dying hurt her, even if she was supposed to hate him.

Damon smiled slightly. "You're supposed to hate me but you don't want me dead. How's that work?"

Elena glared at him again. "You're not funny."

"Oh I think I am, but that's besides the point. Look, I know you're not going to be able to forgive me easily for killing Jeremy, even if he did come back, so I have a suggestion."

She looked at him suspiciously. "What?"

He looked her directly in the eyes, wanting her to see that he really meant what he said.

"Punish me."

To Be Continued...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Punishment

"What do you mean, punish you?" Elena looked at him in confusion.

"Exactly what I said, punish me. When someone does something bad, they get punished right? Unfortunately jail is out for me, cause sooner or later they'd notice I wasn't aging."

Elena stared at him blankly, shocked that he was actually suggesting this. "Punish you... how?"

"However you think best. I assure you I will submit to it, and don't worry about being too harsh. I can take it."

"You're willing to let me punish you... so that I'll forgive you for what you did to Jeremy."

He never once moved his eyes away from hers. His voice was steady. "Yes."

"You want me in your life that much."

"Yes."

"You've done a lot of very wrong things Damon, not just what you did to Jeremy."

"I know."

She fell silent as she looked at the floor and thought about all of this. She remembered how Damon had flung himself in front of her to take an arrow meant for her. An arrow that probably would have killed her. Did he really deserve a chance? Damon waited patiently as she sorted it out in her mind. At last she looked back at him again.

"I'll agree to this on one condition."

"Name it."

"That I get to punish you _every single time _you do something wrong."

Damon looked a bit alarmed. "Hey wait a minute..."

"What? Did you think this would be a one time deal? Like you said, when someone does something bad they get punished right?" Damon looked pained at having his own words thrown back at him. "You need to learn there are consequences for your actions. That's the deal. Take it or leave it."

He sighed. "All right. I'll take it."

"Good. Now how were you punished when you were a kid?

He blinked at her. "What? Why?

"Just answer the question."

He sighed. "Extra chores when it was something minor."

"And for something major?"

For the first time his eyes dropped. "Taken to the barn and strapped."

"Strapped?"

"Have my butt beat with a belt."

Elena looked appalled. "That's horrible!"

"Not back then. That was the normal punishment when you screwed up. I have to say it was very effective. I rarely did the same thing wrong twice. It was the same for Stefan."

Elena hated the thought of Stefan getting that kind of treatment. She chewed on her lower lip. But Damon...

She thought of all the things she could do to Damon for punishment. Ground him to his home? Make him write lines? Do chores? Do community service? She almost laughed at those thoughts. Damon would find that weak, and it wouldn't teach him anything. She sighed thinking about what he'd just said.

_I have to say that it was very effective. I rarely did the same thing wrong twice... _

She felt like a monster for even considering it, but then she thought of Jeremy, laying on the floor with a broken neck and how she'd felt when she thought he was lost forever. She thought about Bonnie, and Caroline, and everyone else she cared about who Damon had hurt or might possibly hurt in the future because of a moment of anger.

She knew what she had to do.

"Is Stefan home?"

"No, he's out hunting. He probably won't be back for awhile."

"Lets go to your place."

Sometimes you had to be brutal to get the point across.

Once at the Salvatore's place, after making sure that Stefan wasn't home, she turned to Damon. "Give me your belt."

Damon frowned slightly. "Why?"

"Your punishment starts now. Don't ask questions, just do it." Still frowning he took off his belt and handed it to her. She hefted it in her hand. It was a good firm weight. It should do nicely. "How exactly did your father punish you?"

Damon stared at her and swallowed hard, and she saw that he'd already figured out what she planned to do, but amazingly enough he didn't object. "He made me take off my pants and underwear and bend over a hay bale and let me have it until he decided I'd had enough."

She nodded. "Well I really don't want to see your naked rear, but I don't think you'll feel as much through those jeans, so we'll compromise. Jeans down, undies stay up."

Damon bit his lower lip and slowly undid his pants and pulled them down. She saw that he wore boxers, not briefs. Black ones to be exact. "Do you want them all the way off?" His voice was subdued. At this moment he looked all the world like a scolded little boy about to receive his comeuppance.

"No keep them on. It'll keep you from kicking or whatever. Bend over the kitchen table." Damon hobbled into the kitchen and did as he was told.

Elena watched him for a moment. She could hardly believe he was being so submissive to her, even though he'd told her he would be. She hesitated then pulled both ends of the belt into her hand. She laid the folded part on Damon's backside and saw him tense.

"Why am I doing this Damon? Why am I punishing you?"

"Because I killed your brother."

"No. Try again."

"Because I've been a danger to people."

"No."

Damon felt confused. What exactly did she want to hear? "Because I've been doing things that are wrong?"

"No Damon, I'm doing this because you asked me to. You asked me to help redeem you, and I'm going to do my best to do just that, and from what you said, I know this way will probably be the most effective punishment to keep you from doing such terrible things again."

Damon swallowed hard at her words, but before he could really react to them he felt the first blow land on rear with a loud _crack! _He jumped, having not expected it yet.

Elena knew how strong vampires were. She was going to have to use all her strength to make an impression, and she was going to do just that. She kept on going, hard and fast.

"This isn't just punishment for my brother. This is punishment for every wrong thing you've ever done in your life since you became a vampire. This is for doing all the awful things you've done since you came here. This is for killing Jeremy, torturing Caroline, biting Bonnie, and making your brother miserable!"

Damon grit his teeth, wincing and flinching at each blow. Everything Elena was saying was right, and he knew it. He hadn't just done horrible things, he was a horrible _person._ A particularly hard blow landed on his upper thighs then as Elena misjudged the strike and he yelped. "I'm sorry!"

"Sorry doesn't fix everything Damon! If Jeremy hadn't been wearing that ring, he'd still be dead, _and no sorry would ever fix that!_" Seeing his reaction she hit his thighs on purpose.

"Ow! I know! I know I screwed up!" Damon's vision grew blurry.

"You're a murderer Damon! You kill people! You hurt and torture people!"

"Ouch! Elena please!"

"Please? Please show you mercy? _The same mercy you gave all your victims?"_

A particularly vicious blow came across his thighs at that, and he whimpered, biting his lower lip to keep from howling. Not just from the physical pain, but from the guilt that he could feel starting to crush him.

"You killed Jeremy because you wanted to hurt me, because I'd hurt you. There is no excuse for that! You don't take your problems out on other people, ever! Do you understand me?"

"Yes! Yes I understand! Owww!"

"If you ever kill someone again, I swear I'll let Bonnie make your head explode. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes!" Damon felt his eyesoverflow and his breath hitched. His shoulders started to shake.

Elena stopped when she heard the first sniffle. She watched Damon fold his arms on the table and bury his face in them. Hesitantly, she moved over to him. She heard a choked sob and realized that he was crying.

Damon couldn't believe it when he felt her slowly and gently start to stroke the hair on the back of his head. Why was she still here? Why hadn't she left in anger and disgust?

She'd never thought that someone like Damon was even able to cry. She rubbed his back and kept stroking his hair as he sobbed quietly. After awhile, when he seemed to be calming down, she gently put her hands on the sides of his head and lifted it up so she could see his face. Tears were falling down his cheeks and his breath was hitching, his eyes full of true remorse.

Elena felt her heart start to soften, and kissed Damon chastely on the forehead. "I forgive you Damon." He looked at her in confusion, and then rising hope. "Please don't ever do something like this again."

He shook his head. "Never. I won't."

She helped him stand up straight, and watched as he pulled his jeans back up with a wince and a slight hiss before he zipped and buttoned them up. She gave him back his belt and he gave it a slightly evil look but put it back on.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." There was a catch in his voice and he looked embarrassed. He quickly wiped the tears away but his eyes were still wet.

"It's okay to cry Damon, I know that hurt." She tried to reach for him but he pulled away and averted his eyes. He didn't want her to hug him for fear that he'd start sobbing again, and he'd been humiliated enough tonight.

"Wasn't what you did so much as what you said."

"I'm sorry..."

He shook his head. "Don't be, you were right, and I needed to hear it." He looked so vulnerable that Elena couldn't help feeling somewhat bad. "You won't give up on me right?"

"As long as you don't kill someone again, and I mean anyone, unless I say it's okay."

"Not even Katherine?"

"Except for Katherine. Kill her all you want."

He couldn't help smirking at that. "It's a deal."

To Be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

This part will be partly be post the episode Plan B.

Chapter 3

I Didn't Think

Damon was relieved when Elena finally left. He needed time to compose himself. He went to the bathroom, knowing that Stefan would probably be home soon. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and scowled. He was a mess. His hair was rumpled, his eyes and nose were red, and he had tear stains on his face. He washed his face and checked the mirror again. He had lost the tear stains but everything else was the same. It was obvious that he'd been crying and he went to his room quickly.

The last thing he wanted was for Stefan to see him and want to know what had happened. He'd want to die if his brother, or anyone else for that matter, found out about this little arrangement.

He sat down on his bed but stood right back up and growled. His butt was definitely sore. Elena wasn't anywhere near as strong as his father had been, but that strapping had still hurt. She'd been really ticked off and running on adrenalin, which had made her stronger than usual.

It was also mainly just pain, it wasn't really a wound, so it wasn't healing either. He was tempted to check what his rear looked like in the mirror but refrained. That was something he'd done after his father had punished him, and he wasn't a child any longer.

He laid down on his side and stared at the wall. Why had he cried like that? He hadn't cried since he hadn't found Katherine in the tomb, and even then he'd only shed a single tear. He'd been hurt much worse than that strapping. He sighed and shook his head. It hadn't just been the strapping, it had been her words. He'd felt so guilty all of a sudden. He still felt a little guilty, but his butt throbbed, reminding him that he'd definitely paid for his wrong doings.

He wouldn't let himself dwell on it anymore. Suddenly feeling exhausted, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Things were interesting for awhile. He was relieved when Elena didn't find out he'd tried to off Mason and it'd failed. He'd be certain she wouldn't be happy about that. But then Elena and Stefan seemed to be fighting, and that was unusual.

Being good was so boring.

Then of course, Mason nearly got them killed, which seriously ticked him off, and Caroline's mother found out about them, which was really inconvenient.

But then they'd finally managed to capture Mason, and he'd gotten his revenge. He'd loved torturing him, finding out new information, before savagely ripping his heart out and taking the moonstone that Katherine had wanted. He hadn't been able to resist taunting Katherine about it over the phone even though Stefan tried to stop him.

That turned out to be a _huge _mistake.

He didn't think he'd ever felt worse in his entire life when he heard Elena tearfully break up with Stefan because Katherine told them she'd kill the people Elena loved if they didn't stop seeing each other. They'd been sneaking around but obviously she'd found out and what Damon did had set her off. Elena's Aunt Jenna was in the hospital because Katherine had used her powers to make her stab herself. Elena was afraid Jeremy would be next.

As Elena started to leave he said, "Elena I did it. I was the one who riled Katherine. I wasn't thinking. I didn't _think."_

"It doesn't matter Damon." Elena looked at him with heart broken eyes. "She won. Katherine won." She left.

Damon felt his own eyes well up a little, then heard a soft whimper and went into the room where Stefan was. His brother was trying to hold back tears, and failing miserably. He watched helplessly as they broke free and trickled down his face.

"Stefan... no... don't cry. We'll find a way to get rid of Katherine..."

"This is all your fault. You just had to call her didn't you? _Didn't you?"_

He flinched. "I'm sorry. If I'd known she'd do something like this..."

"She always does something like this! But just like always you had to open your big fat mouth!"

Elena was right. Being sorry couldn't always fix things. "You want to take a swing at me? Go ahead if it'll make you feel better."

"Nothing is going to make me feel better! You... she..." Stefan crumpled to the floor then and sobbed.

What had he done? He'd ruined everything. Stefan and Elena had been broken possibly beyond repair. He sat down by Stefan and rubbed his back like Elena had done for him.

When Stefan looked up about ten minutes later after his sobs died down to hitches, he was shocked to see that Damon had tears in his eyes too. None had actually fallen, but they were there.

"I'll kill Katherine myself if I have to," Damon said seriously. "I won't let her do this."

"You actually care don't you? Why? Why after all this time? I thought you wanted me to suffer."

"I did... I don't now. Besides it's not just you. Elena is suffering too."

Stefan looked at him in wonder. Was this really his brother? The same person who had been tormenting him for over a lifetime?

Damon helped him up. "You should get some rest. I'll try to figure something out."

Stefan nodded wearily and made his way to his room. Damon slowly sat down on the couch. Could he really kill Katherine? The woman he had loved and searched for, for over a century? Half of him hated her but the other half still had feelings for her.

But if Katherine lived, she'd probably end up killing Elena, and one thing Damon knew, he definitely didn't want Elena to die. But he wasn't sure if he wanted Katherine to die either. He hated this.

He stared into the fire, knowing there was no way he was going to be able to sleep. He was in for a long night.

The next day he met up with Elena at the hospital. "How is Jenna doing?"

Elena wouldn't look at him. "She's going to make it, but I don't think you should be here Damon."

"Katherine didn't tell me to stay away from you, just Stefan."

"You really want to take that risk? I don't really know exactly what she wants Damon."

"So because you can't see Stefan you don't want to see me either?"

She bit her lower lip. "I just don't want to take the risk of anyone else getting hurt.."

He nodded. "Yeah... I got it."

He turned away and walked out of the hospital. Someone else had already gotten hurt, he thought as his chin trembled slightly. But the worst part of all was that he'd done it to himself.

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Too Many Waterworks

Both Damon and Stefan were absolutely miserable for the next few days. Elena wouldn't get anywhere near them or have any contact with them whatsoever for fear of what Katherine might do. After Jenna was finally released from the hospital though, Damon couldn't take it anymore and went to see her.

Once again, Elena walked in to see Damon sitting on her bed. "Damon! You aren't supposed to _be_ here!" She looked and sounded panicked.

"Elena please don't make me go. You don't know what it's been like at home. Stefan cried his eyes out the night you left and he's just been moping around ever since, I've never seen him like this."

Tears filled her eyes. "You know I can't go see him..."

"I know, but maybe you could write him a note I can give to him? Anything? So at least he knows you're thinking of him. He's so torn up Elena..."

She wiped her eyes and nodded, sniffling. She sat down and wrote a quick note and folded it in half, handing it to Damon. "Give him this then."

He nodded and put it in his jacket pocket. "Thank you."

She looked at him. "You're starting to care about him, aren't you?"

"The truth is, I don't think I ever stopped." With that he left through the window, leaving Elena to stare after him.

Damon gave the note to Stefan as soon as he got home. His brother's eyes got moist as he read it.

_Stefan, _

_I still love you no matter what. I'm sorry that I can't be with you anymore, but you are always in my heart and will be forever._

_I miss you so much I can hardly stand it, but I have to keep my family safe. I hope you can understand. _

_- Elena_

By the time Stefan finished his eyes were starting to water.

"Come on bro don't start crying again." He didn't know if he could stand seeing his brother get that way again.

Stefan wiped his eyes quickly. "I'm not crying."

"Sure you're not." He knew he was being kind of a jerk, but he'd rather Stefan get mad then cry any day.

Stefan wiped his face as he turned away. "Shut up."

Damon sighed. "If you want to write a note back, I'll take it to h-" Damon already had the note being shoved into his hand, Stefan having used vampire speed to compose it. "Okay then. Guess I'm the delivery boy." He tried not to look at Stefan's sad face as he left.

Elena was startled as Damon climbed back in through her window. He handed her a note. "From Stefan." He said simply. Elena unfolded the note and read it.

_Elena,_

_Of course I can't blame you for wanting to keep your family safe. I love you too and I always will._

_- Stefan_

Elena didn't even know she was crying till a tear drop landed on the paper.

Damon groaned. "Not you too... I'm getting tired of all the waterworks." Elena glared at him darkly. "That's better. I'd rather see you angry then like that."

"Damon... what did you mean that night, when you said you riled Katherine up?"

"Um, well, you see..."

"Spill it."

He sighed and confessed everything that had happened and that he'd done.

"You promised you wouldn't kill anyone unless I said it was okay!"

"Stefan agreed with me! You saw what he did! He tried to get us killed Elena! It was self defense!"

Elena huffed. "Fine I'll give you that. Self defense is okay. But when Stefan told you _not_ to call Katherine you should have listened to him!"

"I'm not exactly in the habit of listening to Stefan."

"Well maybe you should be. He has a lot more common sense."

"Katherine already knew you two were sneaking around."

"_But you were the one who ticked her off so much that Jenna got hurt! She could have died!"_

"_I didn't do it on purpose!"_

"Don't yell at me!"

"You yelled at me first!" They both glared furiously at each other. "All right, I admit it. I screwed up. _Again. _I didn't mean to do it."

"But you still did because you weren't thinking. You weren't using your head. You are in _so_ much trouble."

"Oh come on Elena! We'll figure something out. We won't let Katherine get away with this!"

"And I won't let _you _get away with this either. You messed up royally and you are going to pay for it. You've hurt Stefan and I so badly..." She shook her head angrily. "You said you'd rather see me mad then upset, but I bet you're going to change your mind."

"Uh, what do you mean by that..."

"Come _here."_ She grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him over. Damon was stunned when Elena started undoing his belt.

"Elena! Not here!"

"I can't go to your place anymore, and no one is home or will be for hours, so yes, here." He was even more shocked when after she got his jeans down she started to pull him over her lap.

"Elena what are you doing?"

"You acted like such a childish brat, you just_ had_ to gloat to Katherine. You thought you'd won didn't you? Well one battle doesn't win a war!" She pulled harder and he had to catch himself with his hands on the bed so he wouldn't hit her thighs too hard.

"Elena come on this is embarrassing!"

"Good!" She grabbed her wooden hair brush, which was ironically enough called a paddle brush, and that's exactly what the back of it was shaped like. It was nice and thick. She raised her arm up as high as she could and brought it down _hard. WHACK!_

"Ouch! Come on Elena not over your knees like a little kid!"

"That's what you acted like, so that's how I'm going to punish you!" _WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!_

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" The brush didn't sting like the belt did, it was more of a duller pain that spread out.

Elena just kept right on going, smacking first one cheek then the other. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"Ah! Come on Elena I'm sorry!"

"You're only saying that because I'm punishing you!"

"That doesn't make it any less sincere!"

If Elena wasn't so mad she might have laughed at that, but she was furious. "Oh you'll be _really_ sincere when I'm done with you!" She started hitting harder and faster, going down to his sit spots.

Damon clenched his teeth and hissed with pain, trying not to make anymore noise. What if someone came home? But Elena was having none of it, and refused to let him suffer in silence.

"Maybe a good spanking will make you think before you do things in the future. What do you think?"

"Elena - ow!" He couldn't open his mouth without yelping. "Do you have to call it _that?_"

"Yes! I am _spanking _your butt for being an idiot!"

"Ouch! Elena this sucks and not in a good way!"

"You're not funny Damon!" She started on his thighs.

"OW! No not there! Elena please not there! OW! OW! OW!" He saw a few drops land on her bedspread. Tears... not again... He actually flung his hand back to try to cover himself but she grabbed his wrist and held it to his lower back.

"I'm not done with you yet." Her voice was firm now, not so angry anymore. "We are going to go over some rules."

"R-Rules?"

"That's right. Rule number one, unless it's Katherine, I say so, or it's strict self defense, you do not kill anyone." She brought the brush down extra hard.

"Ouch!"

"Rule number two. You've been getting along with Stefan better. I want that to continue," and again, extra hard.

"Ah!"

"Rule number three. Think before you do something drastic from now on," and again.

"Ow!"

"And rule number four. If you aren't sure what the right thing to do is, ask me!" One last time.

"Ahhh... ow..." He tried to get up but she held him fast.

"Sorry Damon but I want to make sure you really learn this time." With that she started making all the blows extra hard, and very fast. She hated being so hard on him, but the harder she was on him now, the less likely he was to do something this stupid again.

"OW OW OW! NO! ELENA PLEASE STOP! IT HURTS! AHH OW! OUCH! NO MORE PLEASE! STOOOP!" Elena didn't say anything more however, and all he could focus on was the pain and her disappointment. He didn't stay quiet this time, it wasn't long until he was sobbing his heart out, openly and loudly. Until he couldn't even yell, just lay there and cry.

Elena finally stopped and put the brush down. Damon's skin on his thighs was very, very, red, and she imagined his rear looked the same. She carefully moved him so that he lay on the bed, then lay next to him and held him. She was surprised when he buried his face in her shoulder and held her back. It was a long time before he started to calm down, and she was glad her family wouldn't be home for awhile.

"M-my mother used to punish me l-like that."

"Your mother?" He nodded. "Were you close?"

"I l-loved her."

"So it brought back memories?" He nodded. No wonder he reacted so strongly this time, she thought. She grabbed a box of tissues for him and he took one and blew his nose.

"The last time she p-punished me w-was just before she d-died."

Ouch, Elena thought. That would bring up issues. "What happened to her?"

"She got sick."

"I'm sorry." She started to rock him, making soothing noises, and wasn't surprised when he soon fell asleep. She left him to rest.

When Damon woke up later, he rolled over and quickly got up with a yelp. His butt was killing him. It'd gotten dark while he'd slept, and Elena was no where to be seen. He was relieved, not ready to face her again just now. He'd definitely had enough of waterworks lately, especially his own! He painfully climbed out the window and went home.

He had hoped to avoid Stefan, but unfortunately he practically bumped into him as soon as he walked in the door.

"Damon? Are you okay?" His brother stared hard at him. "Have you been crying?"

Damon just pushed past him, heading for his room. "Shut up."

To Be Continued...


	5. Chapter 5

Zoraya Windwalker asked if I wrote these chapters out of my own head, or from the episodes. Well it's both really. Some I think up all on my own, some I get inspired from watching an episode.

Thank you all so much for your kind reviews, and any questions you have I'll be happy to answer. :)

Chapter 5

Brotherly Bonding

Stefan being Stefan however, obviously couldn't just let it go at that. "Did something happen to Elena?"

"Elena's fine." He continued up the stairs, but his brother's next words stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Is it about Katherine?"

He turned to look at him. "Is what about Katherine?"

"Why you were crying?"

"I wasn't crying, and why the hell would I be upset about Katherine?"

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Oh let me think Damon. You chased after her for over a century..."

Damon's eyes darkened. "Stefan..." His voice trailed off in warning. He so didn't want to deal with this right now.

Stefan ignored his tone and kept on. "You find out she's alive and never bothered to contact you."

Damon growled. "Knock it off."

"And now she's back and you found out what kind of person she really i-" Stefan was cut off when Damon grabbed his throat and slammed him against the wall.

"Shut your mouth!" Damon snarled, his eyes full of rage and pain. "She came back here for _you! _Not me! You!" Stefan was being choked and couldn't really respond, but Damon knew he could hear and understand every word. "It's always _you! _Katherine wants you! Elena wants you! Father adored you! You! You! You! I get so sick of it! Saint Stefan always gets _everything!"_

Stefan had to punch Damon in the jaw to get him off so he could breathe. He coughed for a moment, rubbing his throat. "It's not my fault how other people feel about me!"

"It's your fault you always had to kiss everyone's butt!" His voice turned mocking. "Oh yes what can I do for you today Father? Can I carry that for you Katherine? Look into my pretty boy eyes _Elena."_

It was Stefan's turn to be furious. "Shut up you jerk!" He jumped on Damon and they both fell over, Damon yelping slightly when his rear hit the floor but otherwise ignoring it. They rolled around over the floor punching, kicking, and generally trying to beat the snot out of each other.

"You're nothing but a Daddy's boy!"

"I'm just nice to people! That's why they like me!"

"No your just a butt kisser!"

"At least I don't go around mooning over women I can't have!"

"You're going to pay for that you little bitch!"

"Bring it on Damon!"

With both of them so angry the fight lasted quite awhile. Insults and punches flying back and forth, things being broken as they tossed each other across the room. If anyone had walked by they'd have thought it sounded like World War Three in there. Shouting, screaming, snarling, and roaring sounded within.

Neither of them knew how long it lasted, only that they both finally lay there on the floor next to each other, panting and worn out, with various injuries starting to heal at vampire speed. Stefan rolled over and groaned. "I hate you."

"I hate you more," Damon growled. Stefan reached over to hit him again but he was so exhausted he just fell on top of him. Damon grunted when he landed on his sore ribs but was too tired too move. The room was soon quiet as they both fell into slumber.

They both felt sore the next day when they woke up, but felt better after they drank some blood. Damon's rear had also healed up because he'd been knocked on it so many times last night it'd ended up bruising, which was an injury vampire healing would take care of. After feeding they both wearily slumped down on the couch next to each other, Damon nursing a glass of alcohol.

"I'm sorry about last night Damon."

Ah yes, Stefan, always the peacemaker. "Whatever. Forget about it."

"Seriously though Damon why were you so upset yesterday?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Please?"

Damon grimaced. Why'd his brother have to look at him with those puppy dog eyes? He hadn't done that since they were kids. It was hard for him to resist those big sad eyes when Stefan did that. Maybe that's why people had trouble resisting his brother.

"Elena and I talked, that's all."

"About?"

He sighed. "I told her about how I made Katherine mad. She didn't take it well."

"What happened?"

Damon told him some of what Elena had said. Leaving out the scolding and punishment part of course.

"And that bothered you?" Stefan looked at him in interest. Damon shrugged and took another drink. "You care about her."

"I just don't like seeing her upset. Doesn't seem right."

"I know what you mean." Had Damon actually cried because he'd done something to make Elena so upset? The idea was shocking, but he knew better than to push it. His brother would just deny it, and he didn't want to end up in another fight.

"Damon... about what you said last night... I didn't know you felt that way. Why didn't you ever tell me?" Damon just shrugged and looked away, and that gave Stefan his answer. Pride. It was as simple as that. Damon Salvatore would never admit to his little brother that he felt jealous and hurt because Stefan so easily seemed to get the things that he himself so desperately wanted.

"I didn't know I was hurting you Damon. I'm sorry."

"Yeah well..." Damon sighed. "I didn't exactly make things easier. I did torment you all those years."

"Truce?" Stefan held his hand out.

Damon rolled his eyes but took it and shook. "Yeah, sure." Stefan smiled brightly and Damon smirked. "Don't get all sappy on me bro."

"I'm sappy? You got all sad just because Elena was mad at you."

"Oh you are gonna get it." Damon set his drink down and tackled Stefan off the couch.

"Hey!" They rolled around on the floor again, but more playfully this time, wrestling, like they used to do before Katherine ever came into their lives. Stefan did something he hadn't dared to do since they were kids, and tickled Damon's ribs. It was probably the biggest secret ever. Damon was _very _ticklish.

"Ha ha ha ha! Stefan don't you dare- Ah ha ha! Stop!" He managed to pin him on his back, holding his arms down. "Holler uncle!"

"Never!"

"I can sit on you all day!"

"I got time."

"Oh yeah?" Damon stuck his finger in his mouth then put it in Stefan's ear.

"Ahh! Gross!" Stefan pushed him off and sat up. "What was that?"

"A wet willy." Damon smirked.

"You're sick. Really."

"That's what you get for tickling me. You know I hate that." Stefan laughed a little but then looked broody again. "What is it?"

He sighed. "I just miss Elena."

"We'll figure out something, and until then, we'll just have to stick together."

"If you say so." Stefan looked a little doubtful.

"I do." Damon slung his arm around the back Stefan's shoulders. "The world better look out, because the Salvatore brothers are back."

To Be Continued...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Channeling Father

Despite the pain of not being able to see Elena, Stefan felt lighter in his heart, because finally, he and Damon truly seemed to be like brothers again. They did things they hadn't done since they were human, tossing around a football, talking about whatever came to mind, reading quietly with each other, and many other past times.

Damon seemed determined to cheer Stefan up. Taking him places, doing his best to distract him, all the while claiming he was trying to come up with a plan. After three days however, Stefan slipped away to talk to Bonnie, who claimed she was practicing and looking for more spells, but was still no where near strong enough to take on Katherine yet.

He even tried to talk to Caroline about it, but she'd only stared at him like he was insane. "Are you nuts?" She had shrieked, and slammed the door in his face. Caroline was so terrified of Katherine there was no way _she_ was going to be any help.

After a week, a desperate Stefan started sneaking out at night to watch Elena as she slept through her window. It was better than nothing.

Stefan watched over Elena for four nights, but on the fifth, just as he was about to jump up to her window, he heard a sound and quickly turned around to see Damon who had been right behind him. A very angry looking Damon.

"What are you doing here Stefan?" His voice, didn't sound like it usually did. It was angry, but stern, and calm at the same time. It reminded him of something, something he should remember, but... "Answer me!"

Stefan jumped and stammered. "I... I was just..."

Damon suddenly grabbed his shoulder and gave it a hard shake. "Home, _now_." Stefan fled.

He didn't know why, but Damon was scaring him right now. As soon as he dashed inside the house, Damon walked in and closed the door quietly behind him. "D-Damon..."

"What were you thinking?" Damon crossed his arms and stared him directly in the eyes.

Stefan's own eyes grew wide. "I had to see her. I just_ had_ to."

"So you risk Katherine spotting you, through her eyes or someone else's, because you just _had_ to see her?" Stefan flinched. "You risked bringing more harm to her or her family because you _had_ to see her?"

Stefan bit his lip. "I was careful. I made sure-"

"You didn't know _I_ was there, and you know Katherine has more stealth than _either_ of us." Stefan looked at the floor guiltily and Damon immediately snapped at him. "Look at me when I'm talking to you boy!" Stefan's eyes shot back to his face with a slight gasp. That tone... the way of speaking... calling him boy... now he remembered... now _he knew..._

Damon was channeling their father, as he'd done only once before.

His mind shot back to long ago, only two or three years before Katherine had come into their lives. Their father had gone out of town for awhile, leaving Damon in charge of the household, since he was the oldest, and it was one of the few times in his life that Stefan had done something incredibly stupid.

He had been eyeing a beautiful horse that his father was planning on selling for a high price, but it hadn't been broken yet, and his father had specifically told him to leave it alone, because he wasn't experienced enough to handle a horse that high strung yet, but with their father gone, the temptation had been too much to resist, and late one night, he snuck out to it.

He had managed to saddle it and everything all right, and stay on it's back for all of five seconds before he was tossed off onto the ground. If Damon hadn't showed up right then, he might have been trampled by the angry animal, and as it was he came awfully close.

He had never seen his brother so furious. He'd gotten servants to take care of the beast while he dragged him back home then gave him the tongue lashing of a life time. Telling him how stupid and dangerous what he'd done had been. It had left him in tears and begging for forgiveness. Damon had threatened to take a strap to Stefan himself if he ever did something like that again, and Stefan had believed him. Father had never found out about what he'd done, and Damon had never told him.

Looking into Damon's eyes, he saw that he was wearing the exact same expression now, as he had then. Damon wasn't in brother mode, no, this was Damon the disciplinarian, and Stefan knew he was in deep crap.

"You let your emotions get away with you. Did you think I haven't been keeping an eye on Elena for you? Who's the one who's been taking your notes to each other back and forth? I know you're impatient, but until we figure out a _good _plan, one that has a high level of getting through all this _alive_, we stay low. Is that understood?"

Stefan gulped and whispered his answer. "Yes Sir."

"You are to stay _away _from Elena until then. Get upstairs."

Stefan ran up to his room, shutting his door before throwing himself on the bed and burying his face into his pillow.

Damon got out the strongest alcohol they had in the house. When he heard the sound of his brother's muffled sobs start up, he ditched the glass and drank straight from the bottle.

Treating his brother like that had been sheer hell. He knew however, that it would snap Stefan to attention, it always had when his father had done it, until that tone and those kind of words had an automatic effect on him.

He hated having to do it.

But he hated the thought of losing Elena due to Stefan's carelessness even more. He wanted to go up and comfort his brother, but he held himself back. He wanted to make sure he learned the lesson. Growing up, Damon was the one who usually got the strap. A few harsh words from Father was usually all it took to bring Stefan back into line. Stefan never could handle guilt very well, and usually did his best to avoid it.

For something like this, Father probably would have used the strap on Stefan as too, but Damon couldn't bring himself to do that to his brother. He couldn't even threaten him with it. Not now, not when he was already hurting so much inside.

When Damon checked on Stefan later that night, he found him in bed with closed eyes, a few tears on his cheeks, and it was obvious that he'd cried himself to sleep. Damon gently brushed them away as he studied his still damp lashes. "I'm sorry little brother."

He closed the door quietly behind him as he left, remembering part of the conversation he and Elena had not long ago.

"_But when Stefan told you not to call Katherine you should have listened to him!"_

_"I'm not exactly in the habit of listening to Stefan."_

_"Well maybe you should be. He has a lot more common sense."_

The problem was when it came to matters of the heart, common sense went out the window.

To Be Continued...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A Terrible Secret Revealed

Stefan overslept the next morning, so Damon went to wake him up so he could get ready for school. As he walked into his room however, the things that he was muttering in his sleep made him freeze.

"Yes... I am... don't worry... gonna let myself die... Father... no... what are you doing... mmph..." What was his brother dreaming about? He'd never heard these words before. "Father... sorry... didn't mean to... blood... no... shouldn't... but... can't... resist... so... so... _hungry." _

Damon's eyes widened. He reached over and shook Stefan roughly. "Wake up!" Stefan's eyes popped open with a gasp. He blinked looking disoriented, before he seemed to focus on Damon.

"What... what is it?"

"You're going to be late for school if you don't get moving."

"Oh... uh... thanks."

Damon walked out as his brother got up. What had all that meant...

Damon did a lot of pacing that day, waiting for his brother to get home. He had his suspicions, but until he knew more, he couldn't put a proper picture together. All he could do was wait, and drink, though the suspense was definitely getting to him. He practically pounced on Stefan the second he walked through the door.

"We need to talk, now."

Stefan looked at him warily. "About what?"

"About the things you were saying in your sleep this morning when I came to wake you up."

"I was talking in my sleep? I don't talk in my sleep..."

"Well you were this time." Damon told him everything he'd said, and watched him blanch. "What was that all about Stefan?"

Stefan shook his head and tried to push past him. "Nothing."

Damon grabbed his arm. "It was about Father, talk."

Stefan tried to pull away but his brother had a tight grip. "It was just a dream."

"Somehow I doubt that. Talk, _now._" He tightened his grip to the point where it hurt.

"Ow! All right, just let go." He rubbed his arm and sat down on the couch. Damon sat down on the other couch across from him, watching him intently.

And so he told his brother the dream he'd had. How he'd gone to their father to say goodbye after he'd been turned. How his father had informed him how he was the one who'd shot them, how his father had flown into a rage and attacked him, how he'd automatically fought back, and their father had been hurt. How there had been blood, and his newborn vampire instincts hadn't been able to resist...

He didn't dare look at his brother until he'd finished. Damon's head was bowed so low that he couldn't see his face, but his fists were both clenched, and his whole body was shaking. "Was that really... _just _a dream?"

He wanted to lie, he desperately wanted to lie and make it convincing, but he'd always been a really bad liar, and he knew Damon would see right through him. He swallowed hard. "No."

Damon got up and paced back and forth a couple of times. He snatched his glass off the table, took a sip, then abruptly turned and threw it at the fireplace. It crashed into it making the flame flare out from the alcohol, causing Stefan to jump and glance at it.

By the time he looked back, Damon was no where in sight.

Bonnie was doing her homework when she heard a loud banging on the front door. She opened it to find a frantic looking Stefan.

"Damon's gone." He shoved past her and inside.

"Gone, and this is a bad thing?"

"Not funny Bonnie. This could be really _bad."_

"Why? What happened?" She looked at him sharply.

Stefan told her what had happened. "I have no idea where he is. I've looked all over town. I only got a glimpse of his face, but it was just... there was so much rage, and hate, and..."

"You think he might go on the rampage."

Stefan nodded. "Is there any way that you can help me find him?"

Bonnie frowned in thought. "Maybe... do you have anything of Damon's with you?" He shook his head. "Then we'll need to go to your place. Hang on." She grabbed a few things. "Lets go."

Bonnie used a bit of Damon's hair that she pulled out from his comb and held a crystal hanging from a chain over a map. She muttered a spell and they watched as the crystal started to sway, finally stopping in an area not far from town. "He's there."

"Why would he go there? Isn't that area only woods?" Stefan looked confused.

"I don't know but that's where he is. I should come with you, just in case he needs to be... subdued."

Stefan nodded reluctantly. "Lets go."

Stefan drove there as quickly as possible without risk to anyone. After he parked they hurried to the scene. All that was there was a small herd of deer that was grazing, and they crouched down behind a bush to talk in whispers.

"He should be here, this is where the crystal indicated," Bonnie frowned.

"He probably is here, or at least nearby, he's very good at hiding and-" he was interrupted when one of the deer suddenly bellowed. They both snapped to attention. It had happened so fast, they hadn't even seen him appear.

Damon had the buck by the throat, his eyes were shining fiercely. The rest of the herd ran, but it was too late. Damon struck.

Bonnie gasped, her eyes widening and her heart pounding at the sheer violence before her. She started to focus on Damon, but Stefan put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. She quickly understood. Better deer than people. Still it was horrifying to watch, and she soon looked away.

Damon had the entire herd incapacitated in seconds, the dead and dying lay around him moaning pitifully, while he himself was drenched in blood, but it still wasn't over.

Damon alternately fed from and tortured the poor creatures. Bonnie covered her ears so she wouldn't hear the bones breaking anymore, or the squeals of pain that came from them, but she couldn't block out the roars from Damon.

Stefan wouldn't let himself look anywhere else. This was his fault. He had caused this. He'd made his brother like this, and he made himself watch every act, and listen to every word that Damon said, for his brother was indeed talking.

"WHY?" Damon bellowed. "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO US? YOUR OWN SONS!" He ripped off a head by the antlers and flung it at a tree, his voice dying down in his agony. "You always hated me... I was never what you wanted... But to kill me? To kill Stefan? He was always your favorite. How could you kill him?"

Bonnie couldn't hear the animals anymore. They must all be dead by now. She cautiously uncovered her ears and looked up. She was surprised by the stirring of sympathy she was starting to feel. She'd never liked Damon, but finding something like that out would screw with anyone's head.

Damon looked up at the sky, as if hoping to see his father's spirit floating up there somewhere. "All this time, I blamed him. I blamed Stefan for us becoming what we are, but it was your fault wasn't it? It was your fault he flipped that switch, turned off his emotions. So he wouldn't have to feel anything about _what you'd done!" _Another head went flying.

Bonnie felt Stefan flinch and turned to see him biting his lip and doing his best to hold himself strong. He looked at her as a muscle in his cheek twitched. They both realized that it was suddenly quiet, and whipped their heads back to the clearing.

Damon was gone again.

To Be Continued...


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Breakdown

They ran back to the car. "Where did he go?" Stefan stomped his foot on the gas petal.

"He's on the move, hang on." Bonnie looked closely at the map. "He's stopped... okay he's back at your place."

But by the time they got there, he'd already left. The evidence showed that he'd taken a shower and changed clothes.

"He's so darn fast... How are we supposed to keep up with him?" Bonnie looked frustrated.

"We'll just have to keep trying. Where is he now?"

"He's headed for Elena's! We have to get over there!"

Elena answered the door to the pounding. "Bonnie? Stefan? What..."

"Have you seen Damon?" Bonnie asked urgently.

"No... What's going on?" They hurried inside and Stefan explained while Bonnie went back to the map again. Elena dropped her head in her hands. "That's awful. No wonder he freaked out."

"We need to find him before he hurts someone. Bonnie, any luck with the map?" Stefan looked over at her.

"Not yet. He's still moving, but he changed direction."

"Who says he will hurt someone?" Elena demanded. " He went after deer, not people. He promised me that he wouldn't kill people anymore."

"He's not exactly in his right mind at the moment Elena, there's no telling what he might do." Stefan drummed his fingers on the table nervously.

"Got him," Bonnie announced.

"Where is he?" Elena moved over to look.

"At the cemetery."

"Then lets go." Elena stood up looking determined.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Stefan objected.

"He won't hurt me." She started for the door.

"Elena-"

"Forget it Stefan," Bonnie shook her head. "That's her stubborn face. Lets just get out there."

Once at the cemetery they were relieved to find that he was still there, and from all the noise he was making, it wasn't hard to find him. They watched Damon from behind a large tree as he ranted at his father's grave.

He had started to head over to Elena's house, but had changed his mind halfway there. He didn't want her to see him like this, not when he was full of so much rage. Besides, the person who really deserved his wrath was beyond his reach. Sure his body was there in that grave, but his father was in the afterlife. Damon wished he could reach that place just long enough to throttle the man.

"I was never good enough for you! Not ever! I was always the disappointment! But to kill me? You son of a bitch! You sick bastard! What kind of father are you?"

Elena felt tears fill her eyes, because underneath all that anger, she knew the pain Damon had to be feeling.

Damon looked at the headstone. Besides his father's name and life span it read:

_Beloved Husband and Father_

"Your stone is a lie! You don't deserve it!" He punched the headstone so hard it cracked. _"I hate you! I HATE YOU!"_

As his brother raised his fist to hit the headstone again, Stefan ran to him and pulled him back. Despite what their father had done, he couldn't bear to see his grave desecrated.

"_Damon don't!"_

"_LET GO OF ME!"_

"_If you have to hit something hit me!"_

"_LEAVE ME ALONE!" _Damon shoved him back.

"Why aren't you angry at me? I killed him. I killed _our father."_

"And I don't care!" They faced each other now.

Stefan had already forgotten that they had an audience. Elena and Bonnie didn't dare move. They barely breathed.

"How could you not care?"

"Because he killed _us!_ He made us into what we are!"

"No Damon! _I _made us into what we are! _I_ drank our father's blood! _I'm_ the one who brought you that poor girl!"

"Because you turned off your emotions! Because of what he did! Because of what he made you do!"

"I drank from him because I was too weak to resist. I drank from him because I _hurt him!"_

"It was self defense! And why the hell didn't you ever tell me about this before?"

"Because I knew you'd react this way and I didn't want anyone to get hurt! I didn't want _you_ to be hurt."

They both stared at each other, wondering how to get through to each other.

"Damon you're my brother... I never wanted you to know this. Not ever." Damon spun around and kicked the headstone so hard it went flying and hit a statue, breaking both. _"Damon!"_

"How can you defend him after what he did?"

"He's still our father!"

"Fathers don't kill their kids!" Damon turned away from him, his hands clenching into fists. "Fathers are supposed to care about you no matter what." His voice broke.

"Damon..."

"Don't. Just... don't." He closed his eyes, causing a drop to fall down his left cheek as his chin trembled. Stefan moved around Damon so he could see his face again. He was shocked when he saw the tear. He could barely remember the last time he'd seen his brother cry.

"Damon... I'm sorry." He heard his own voice crack.

Damon opened his eyes to look at him. "Why do you always say you're sorry... even when it's not your fault?"

"It is this time." Stefan's own eyes overflowed.

"No it's not, and I don't blame you."

Stefan hugged him tightly. He tried to pull away but Stefan just held him even tighter. Damon tried to remain in control, but a sob escaped him before he could stop it, then another, and before he knew it he'd broken down completely in his brother's arms. He could hear Stefan crying too, and he finally hugged him back. They both clung to each other, lost in a shared pain that only the two of them could ever understand.

Elena wiped a few tears from her own cheeks and looked at Bonnie. "I think Damon will be all right now. We should go."

Bonnie nodded and got up. "I never thought I'd see the day when Damon Salvatore would have a breakdown."

"He has feelings, just like the rest of us." Elena was glad that at least the brothers were leaning on each other now, instead of pushing each other away.

Damon didn't know how long they sobbed there together. When they both started calming down and stepped back he immediately felt stupid. The last thing he'd ever wanted to do was cry in front of his little brother. He dried his face on his sleeve and saw that Stefan was doing the same.

Stefan saw that the girls were gone and decided he'd call Bonnie later. They went to get the car, started home, and Damon looked at him, trying to seem threatening despite his red and puffy eyes. "If you ever tell anybody about this-"

Stefan shook his head, eyes focused on the road as he drove. "I won't, I swear." He was glad Damon didn't know that the girls had been there.

"Good. Any other big secrets you've been keeping from me?"

Stefan shook his head again. He could tell Damon was really embarrassed, so he didn't say anything about what just happened. He'd likely as not get clobbered.

Damon took a few bottles of vodka to his room as soon as they got home, while Stefan went to call Bonnie to make sure she and Elena had gotten home all right. He just wanted to get drunk, pass out, and forget that this day had ever happened.

To Be Continued...


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Never Tick Off A Witch

Damon was in a very bad mood the next day as he sat down at a table at the Grill and started in on a bottle of vodka. He wasn't exactly in the mood for company, but it wasn't long before Elena and Bonnie showed up and joined him.

"Hey Damon what's up?" Elena was worried about him, having seen his breakdown yesterday, she wasn't sure how he'd be today.

"Nothing." Damon took another drink from the bottle.

The girls ordered sodas when a waitress came around. Bonnie eyed Damon. She didn't just remember the breakdown, she also remembered what he'd done to the deer. Damon was like a bomb at the moment, there was no telling what might set him off, or when.

"What are you staring at?" Damon growled at Bonnie.

Bonnie smirked. "Not much obviously." Gah, what was she doing? It had just come out naturally. She was always verbally sparring with him, but right now that probably wasn't the best idea.

"You must be seeing your own reflection in my eyes little witch." His eyes narrowed.

"Whatever, Elena I gotta go to the ladies room. Come with?"

"Sure." They left.

After they were gone, Damon dosed Bonnie's soda with the tasteless alcohol and smirked.

After they got back, they talked about this and that, Damon using vampire speed to dose Bonnie's drink whenever the girls weren't paying attention. Elena wondered why Bonnie was drinking so much soda, and why she was getting so very giggily.

"Bonnie... are you okay?"

"I'm great! Ha ha ha!"

"Bonnie if I didn't know better I'd say you were drunk!" She saw Damon smirk at that. "Damon... you didn't." He tried to look innocent. "Damon! That was really mean!" Damon just snickered and she groaned. "Come on Bonnie, I'll take you home."

The next day Bonnie had the mother of all hangovers. She spent most of the morning in the bathroom puking her guts out. She felt sick as a dog. She was glad this was Saturday so that she didn't have school. She was _so _going to get Damon for this!

She felt better on Sunday, and early that morning she flipped through her spell book. Her eyes stopped on one particular spell as she skimmed over the paragraphs. That would do, she thought. She smiled and begun.

Damon woke up later than usual and went into the bathroom. He looked into the mirror blearily after he splashed water on his face and dried it, stopped, and stared. He brought his hand up to his cheek. His eyes widened, then... "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Stefan jumped and looked towards the stairs before rushing up then after hearing a shrill scream. He dashed to the bathroom and his own eyes got wide. "What the... who..." His eyes ran over the figure. It was slender, with curves in all the right places, and currently the person's hands were holding their chest, staring in the mirror in disbelief. "Damon... is that... you?"

Eyes with long lashes turned to look at him. "Yes," the person snarled up at him, since they were now shorter.

Stefan could only stare in disbelief.

Elena and Bonnie were at the grill again when a young woman came storming up to them. "You... you... witch!" Bonnie took one look at the girl and started laughing.

Elena was confused, she looked awfully familiar but... "Huh? Uh... who are you?"

"Who do you think?"

She stared hard, then... "Damon?"

"Ding! Ding! Ding!" He, well she, said sarcastically.

"What _happened _to you?"

"Ask _HER_." He/she pointed to Bonnie, who was still laughing.

By now Elena was having to fight her own laughter. "Bonnie, did you do this to Damon?"

Bonnie finally managed to calm down. "I sure did. That's what you get for spiking my drink Damon."

Damon actually stomped his, well her, foot. "Nothing deserves this! Nothing I have ever done in my entire _existence_ deserves this! Elena! Tell your power abusing friend to change me back!"

"Oh I dunno Damon... it's kind of a good look on you." Elena grinned.

"You call _this_ a good look?" All the clothes were hanging on him strangely. They didn't fit well anymore due to the new size and shape of his body. Damon pointed at Bonnie who was grinning too by now. "I promised Elena I wouldn't kill anymore, but I am going to stand here and give you hell until this is _fixed!"_

Bonnie waved that away. "Don't worry about it, it'll wear off after twenty four hours."

"Twenty four hours?"

"That's about how long I was suffering from a hangover. It's only fair."

Damon growled angrily but just then Tyler walked up. "Hey what's up people?" He saw Damon. "Wow, who's the looker?" Damon's eye started to twitch.

"Oh," said Elena thinking quickly. "This is Stefan's cousin. She's visiting for the day. This is Dawn."

"Nice to meet you Dawn." Tyler took her hand and shook it, not seeming to notice the twitching. "I'm Tyler, can I buy you a drink?"

Damon grimaced. "I need to go, like now." He rushed out the door.

Tyler blinked after her and looked at the girls in puzzlement. Elena coughed. "Uh... she's really shy."

To Be Continued...


	10. Chapter 10

This chapter is partly post Masquerade and Rose spoilers for the episodes.

Chapter 10

At Least He Got To Say It

Damon hid in his room for the rest of the day until he because his old self again. He didn't want anyone else to see him as a girl.

For a few days everything was uneventful, but then one night when he stopped by Elena's to check on things, he caught his brother there, again.

"Stefan!" His brother looked at him and his eyes widened. "What the hell did I tell you?"

"Damon! I..."

Damon thought he could hear something. "Someone is coming. Go back to the house, I'll take care of this." Stefan started to protest and he gave him a hard shove, making him stumble back. "Go!" He ran.

Turning around he came face to face with Katherine.

"Hello Damon," Katherine batted her lashes at him. "That wasn't Stefan I just saw leaving was it? That could make things very unpleasant for Elena."

"Don't," he said in warning.

Katherine cocked her head and looked at him appraisingly then smiled. "You like Elena don't you Damon? You don't want to see her hurt. That's good. You can have Elena, but I want Stefan."

"You don't own us Katherine," His eyes narrowed at her.

"Don't I? I made you." She reached out and gently stroked his arm, then abruptly grabbed his wrist and jerked it. Damon yelped as he felt the bone snap. "You both should learn to obey me." She applied pressure till he was on his knees in pain. "There now that's better. I like to see you kneel down before me." She grabbed the hair at the back of his head and yanked it back, forcing him to look up at her. "Next time, it's Elena's precious brother who pays the price." Then suddenly, she was gone.

Damon was seriously ticked off as he walked inside their house a few minutes later cradling his wrist. He grabbed a bag of blood and drank it.

"What happened?" Stefan looked worried.

"Katherine was there you idiot, and she saw you. She said Jeremy pays the price next time."

Stefan cringed and bit his lip. "What happened to your wrist?"

"She broke it. Never mind it'll heal in a minute." The blood sped up the healing and soon he was good as new. Then he went to Stefan and grabbed his arm and dragged him over to the couch.

"Damon! H-hey!"

"Don't hey me little brother I told you not to go back there." He sat on the couch and yanked Stefan over his lap. "Maybe this will knock some sense into you." He slammed his hand down on the jean clad backside _hard._

"OW! Damon no!"

"Don't tell me no." He kept going. "You deserve this and you know it!"

"Owwww! Damon I'm sorry!"

"You should be." Stefan started to cry at that. Damon kept up the punishment until he could feel the heat of his brother's skin even through the jeans. Stefan just lay there a sobbing mess. He hesitated, then slowly started to rub his back, remembering how Elena always comforted him afterwards.

Eventually Stefan calmed down enough to get up. He grabbed a box of tissues and took a few, blowing his nose. "S-surprised you didn't use the b-belt."

Damon looked away. He hadn't wanted to use the belt because that's what their father had done, and he was the last person Damon wanted to imitate ever again. "Don't make me have to do that again."

"I won't," he whimpered, tears falling from his eyes again.

Damon rolled his eyes and pulled him into a brief hug. "Go get some sleep."

Damon knew they had to do something fast, Stefan was really unraveling. They gathered everyone together and made a plan to kill Katherine. They thought it was fool proof.

It didn't quite turn out that way.

Katherine may have ended up shut up in the tomb, but she managed to get Tyler turned into the werewolf, got Elena injured, killed a girl, and generally caused a big mess to clean up.

Then of course Elena got kidnapped, and they had to go rescue her, and found out about this big group of baddies who would probably be after Elena.

Swell.

Maybe that was why Damon finally confessed his love to her, just in case something happened. Sure he erased her memory of it, but at least he got to say it. As he walked back home wiping the tears from his face, he thought about what Stefan had said, that he couldn't think of a better reason to die, meaning to protect Elena.

Damon had to agree, and if he had to sacrifice himself for her, at least his life will have finally meant something.

To Be Continued...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I Will Always Love You

The next day Damon slept in. He didn't wake up until Stefan had already left for school. He stumbled around, not fully awake yet, and showered before going downstairs and drinking some blood.

That done, he turned on the radio and flipped through the stations. He finished off the blood and grabbed some bourbon, pouring himself a glass and dancing around a bit to the rock song playing. After that particular song ended a soft playing song came on and he flopped on the couch, but the lyrics caught his instant attention, and he went still.

_If I should stay,_

_I would only be in your way._

_So I'll go, but I know_

_I'll think of you ev'ry step of the way. _

_And I will always love you._

_I will always love you._

_You, my darling you. Hmm. _

His breath caught in his throat, and the glass slipped out of his hand to crash to the floor.

_Bittersweet memories_

_that is all I'm taking with me._

_So, goodbye. Please, don't cry._

_We both know I'm not what you, you need._

_And I will always love you._

_I will always love you. _

His mind shot of course, to Elena, and his confession that he'd made her forget.

_I hope life treats you kind_

_And I hope you have all you've dreamed of._

_And I wish to you, joy and happiness._

_But above all this, I wish you love. _

Suddenly he hurt so badly inside that he could hardly stand it.

_And I will always love you._

_I will always love you._

_I will always love you._

_I will always love you._

_I will always love you._

_I, I will always love you. _

All the pain that he'd been feeling inside rose up. Not just about Elena, but everything he'd been through in his entire life. His mother, his father, Katherine, becoming a vampire, Elena... he didn't even realize at first that tears were streaming down his face.

_You, darling, I love you._

_Ooh, I'll always, I'll always, love, yooou... _

He tasted something salty, and realized he was crying, but for once he didn't care. For once the great, cocky, Damon Salvatore, just let himself grieve. He lay down, curled himself up on the couch, and let the sobs come.

His brother found him still like that when he returned home a few hours later.

"Damon?" Stefan sounded shocked and concerned, but he couldn't care right now. He felt him put a hand on his shoulder. "Easy Damon. Is it Katherine?" It wasn't just about Katherine, but he just nodded. It was the simplest explanation to give, and he knew Stefan wouldn't push beyond that.

He didn't fight it when Stefan moved him so that he could sit on the couch next to him and hold him. For once, Damon let himself be comforted. He sniffled and laid his head on his brother's shoulder, fisting his hand in his shirt, and closed his eyes.

He didn't remember falling asleep, but he woke up later in his own bed with a dozing Stefan beside him. He remembered what Stefan had said before, about just wanting his brother to be with him. I won't leave you little brother, he thought, I can't, not now.

After all, Elena needed to be protected, and sometimes, his brother needed it too. He got up and headed to the bathroom to wash his face. And maybe sometimes, he thought, so do I.

He was surprised to find that somehow, he felt a little better.

To Be Continued...

Song: I Will Always Love You sung by Whitney Houston


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

He Can't Be Tamed

The next day was Saturday and Elena went over to the Salvatore's house that morning during a time when she knew that Stefan was usually out hunting. She knew that Damon had been down lately and she wanted to check on him.

She knocked but got no answer. She could hear music blaring so she let herself in. She was _not_ prepared for the sight that met her eyes.

Damon had obviously just gotten out of the shower. His hair was wet, and he was clad only in a towel around his waist. He was dancing and singing into his comb along with a song playing on the radio. Most people looked silly doing something like this, but Damon...

_For those who don't know me, I can get a bit crazy_

_Have to get my way yep, twenty four hours a day,_

_'Cause I'm hot like that._

_Every guy, everywhere, just gives me mad attention,_

_Like I'm under inspection, I always get the ten,_

_'Cause I'm built like that._

Elena's brain froze, along with her body. She couldn't move, only stare.

_I go through guys like money flyin' out their hands,_

_They try to change me but they realize they can't,_

_And every tomorrow is a day I never planned,_

_If you're gonna be my man, understand._

Oh dear lord...

_I can't be tamed, I can't be saved,_

_I can't be blamed, I can't, can't,_

_I can't be tamed, I can't be changed,_

_I can't be saved, I can't be can't be,_

_I can't be tamed!_

She didn't know Damon could sing... but he could, and he sounded like a rock star.

_If there was a question about my intentions,_

_I'll tell ya,_

_I'm not here to sell ya,_

_Or tell you to go to hell,_

_I'm not a brat like that._

_I'm like a puzzle,_

_but all of my pieces are jagged,_

_If you can understand this,_

_we can make some magic,_

_I'm wrong like that._

She found her eyes moving along his body. His chest was finely chiseled, his legs and arms well muscled, but not overly so. Her gaze stopped at the towel and a part of her kind of wished it would slip...

_I wanna fly,_

_I wanna drive,_

_I wanna go._

_I wanna be a part of something I don't know,_

_And if you try to hold me back I might explode._

_Baby, by now you should know._

Wait, didn't she love Stefan?

_I can't be tamed,_

_I can't be tamed,_

_I can't be blamed,_

_I can't, can't ,I can't, can't be, tamed._

_I can't be changed,_

_I can't be tamed,_

_I can't be, I can't be, tamed!_

Then why hadn't she gotten back with him yet?

_Well I'm not a trick you play,_

_I'm wired a different way_

_I'm not a mistake,_

_I'm not a fake,_

_It's set in my DNA._

_Don't change me,_

_Don't change me,_

_Don't change me,_

_Don't change me..._

_I can't be tamed!_

Damon moved his hips and Elena felt like her body might hit the floor. It was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen.

_I wanna fly,_

_I wanna drive,_

_I wanna go._

_I wanna be a part of something I don't know,_

_And if you try to hold me back I might explode._

_Baby, by now you should know._

Okay you need to go now before he notices you staring! Her brain suddenly shouted at her. She started to back up to the door.

_I can't be tamed,_

_I can't be tamed,_

_I can't be blamed,_

_I can't, I can't, can't, be tamed,_

_I can't be changed,_

_I can't be tamed,_

_I can't be, I can't be tamed! _

Elena fled. The song was a perfect one for him to sing, she thought fuzzily. No, he couldn't be tamed, because if he ever was, then he just wouldn't be Damon. He was wild and, she was just starting to realize, that she liked him that way.

What the hell was she supposed to do now?

To Be Continued...


	13. Chapter 13

Part of this chapter is post Katerina so some spoilers from the episode.

Warning: Sexual content in this chapter.

Chapter 13

Kisses From A Rose

After finding out what Elena had learned from Katherine, it didn't take long for Damon to come to the conclusion that Tyler needed to die. Minus a werewolf, the spell couldn't be done. Not to mention that it would soon be a full moon, and Tyler would end up being a danger to them anyway.

Damon headed to Tyler's house, planning on catching him by surprise. He _did_ feel a bit sorry for the kid, it wasn't his fault what had happened, but he had to protect Elena and the others. He'd do his best to make this as quick and painless as possible.

Unfortunately as soon as he got there, he was confronted by Caroline.

"What are you doing here Damon? I won't let you hurt Tyler."

"What am _I_ doing here? What are _you_ doing here Caroline?"

"Keeping an eye out for people like you. Tyler is my friend and I won't let you hurt him!"

"Do you even know that it'll soon be a full moon and he'll be a danger to us all?"

"I don't care! I'll figure something out! Just leave Damon!"

Damon growled. "Fine, but if I'm the one to die, you stay away from my funeral." He left in a huff.

That night Elena barged in looking very angry. "Caroline just called me. She was nearly hysterical. You went over there to kill Tyler didn't you?"

"The spell needs you, Caroline, and Tyler right? Tyler is a danger to us anyway. I figured he was the best one to get rid of."

"Get rid of? He's a _person_ Damon! What have I told you about killing people? You told me you'd stop doing that!"

"Call it a case of self defense!" Damon snapped. He was getting mad too. "When he turns on the full moon, who do you think he's going to go after?"

"You have to stop thinking that killing people is the best solution! That makes you no better than Klaus, Katherine, or your father!"

Damon looked stunned. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but nothing came out. For once he was speechless. Suddenly there was a blur of movement and he was gone. A door upstairs slammed shut.

Elena heard a growl and turned around to see Rose glaring at her. "You need to leave. Now."

Suddenly feeling guilty, realizing just how hurtful what she said was, Elena quickly hurried out the door. She didn't want to risk being around an angry Rose. "What have I done?" She shook her head as she drove away, biting her lower lip. She didn't know how she was going to fix this.

Rose went upstairs and knocked on Damon's door. When she didn't get an answer she opened it to see an agitated and upset Damon pacing back and forth. "Are you really going to let a silly little girl get to you this much?"

"She didn't get to me," he growled.

"Then why do you look like you're about to burst into tears?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I don't cry." He shot her a glare.

"Everyone cries in their lifetime Damon."

"Whatever." He sat down on the bed.

Rose sat down beside him after a moment. "I get the other references, but what was that about your father?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Might help if you do."

Damon sighed and gave in, telling her about his father's disdain for him, how Stefan was the favorite, how he could never please the man, and how they'd both ended up being killed by him.

Rose took his face into her hands softly. "And underneath all the arrogance, deep inside you're just someone who wants to be loved, aren't you?" Damon closed his eyes and Rose pressed a gentle kiss to each of his lids, then his forehead, then his lips. He gasped a little then kissed her back hard.

They were two people who had suffered heavy losses, each almost drowning in their own pain. The kisses grew heated and more passionate, and it wasn't long before their clothes made their way to the floor. Skin slid against skin, as for at least the moment, they both forgot their miseries in an embrace as old as the dawn of man.

Later Damon watched her sleep as he lay beside her. Could he and Rose end up really having something, or would they just be friends with benefits? He didn't know, but it might be worth it to try to find out.

He felt a stab of pain as he remembered what Elena had said to him, mostly because he wondered if she was right. He decided that could be tomorrow's problem.

Rose snuggled up to him then in her sleep and he smiled a little. At least Rose seemed to accept him just as he was, and right now, he was going to enjoy her company. He laid his head down on the pillow and wrapped his arms around her. His last thought before he drifted off was what Stefan's reaction might be if he happened to walk in on them in the morning. He couldn't help but smirk.

Wouldn't that be a funny thing?

To Be Continued...


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Just A Little Bit Of Compulsion

The next day Damon and Rose awoke to Stefan's voice.

"Damon have you seen my jacket?" Rose grumbled and pulled the pillow over her head while Damon yawned. Stefan opened the door. "Damon are you awa- YAAAAHHH!" Stefan turned bright red before slamming the door shut again.

Damon smirked. "I knew he'd freak."

Rose groaned. "What is his_ problem?"_

"Would you like a list?" Damon got up and got dressed while Rose went back to sleep.

Later that day Elena called and asked for him to come over to her place. He obliged warily, remembering what had happened last night. As soon as he got there Elena pulled him inside.

"Damon... I am so, so, sorry about what I said last night. It was really mean. I know it hurt you..."

Damon shrugged. "Yeah well, you were probably right."

"You _are _getting better Damon, you really are. I can _see _how much you're trying. I really can."

"But?"

"You still need to work on the no killing thing."

Damon nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I gotcha. It's just kind of hard to change the habits that you've kept for over a century."

"I know."

"You know... you always punish _me_ when I do something wrong." Damon's eyelids went up and down in that flirtatious way of his.

"What are you getting at?" Elena looked a little worried.

"You don't really think I'll let you get off scot free do you Elena? Since you hurt my feelings so badly and all?"

Elena backed up. "Now wait a minute..." Using his vampire speed, Damon suddenly had her necklace off and in his hand, dangling from his fingers. "Damon!"

Too late. He looked her in the eyes and had her. He smirked and took out his cell phone, pointing it at her and pressed record. "Elena, quack like a duck."

"Quack!"

"Now bark like a dog."

"Arf! Arf!"

"Now look like a fan girl and say, Damon Salvatore is the sexiest man in the world."

Elena became starry eyed. "Damon Salvatore is just the sexiest man in the whole wide world!"

"Yeah, that's good." He stopped recording. "And... send. The others should get a kick out of this." He let Elena off the compulsion.

"Wha- Damon! That was so not funny!"

"Yeah it so was!" He gave her a crap eating grin and tossed her the necklace.

Elena just managed to catch it and put it back on. "You're still in trouble for going after Tyler." She scowled at him.

Damon lost the grin. "Nuts..."

Damon was really getting tired of being in this position over a kitchen table. Once again here he was, pants down, and Elena ready to whale on him. At least she wasn't using the belt this time. He felt her hair brush land hard.

"Ow! Wasn't you hurting my feelings enough? You have to add injury to insult too?"

"Well talking never seems to really get through to you Damon, hurt feelings or not." _Whap!_

"Ow! You're sooo mean."

"_I'm_ mean? Oh I'll show you mean." _WHA CRAAACK! _

"_YEOW!_ That one really hurt!" He turned his head to see Elena blinking at her brush which was now just barely hanging from the handle.

"You broke my brush."

"Uh excuse me, _I_ broke your brush? You were the one slamming it against my butt. _You_ broke it."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Get up. If you do something like this again, I'll order a paddle online or something I swear."

"Getting kinky aren't you Elena?" He stood up and redressed.

Elena just groaned. "You need _serious_ help. Will you just go home?"

Damon snickered all the way back to the boarding house.

To Be Continued...


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The Truth Comes Out

The next day when Damon was sitting on the couch and reading a book, he suddenly found himself confronted by both Stefan and Jeremy.

"Damon how could you compel Elena?" Stefan was holding up his cell phone and glaring.

"Yeah! What _else_ did you compel her to do?" Jeremy was glaring too.

"Yes Damon, what else _did_ you compel Elena to do?" Demanded Stefan.

Already annoyed, Damon closed the book and stood up. "I didn't compel her to do anything else. It was just a joke."

Jeremy just shook his head while Stefan got into Damon's face. "Compelling someone isn't a joke Damon. Don't lie to me. What else did you do?"

Damon was getting seriously ticked off. "When have you _ever _known me to lie about anything? That's all I had her do, and I didn't make her forget. You can ask her yourself!"

"I'll do just that Damon, and I'll ask her if she's missing any time from her memory!"

Damon saw red and shoved Stefan against the wall, clenching the front of his brother's shirt in his fist. "I am getting _sick and tired _of you're the saint and I'm the devil act! You are not perfect! Hell if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have been orphaned when we were!"

Stefan was angry too. "What are you talking about?"

"It's your fault Mother died! Not just Father!"

"I didn't have anything to do with Mother dying, she got sick!"

"Hey guys come on, no need to get nasty here..." Jeremy watched them uncomfortably, but they both ignored him.

"Right, she got sick. She got sick while she was pregnant with you, and she _died_ in child birth! Nobody told you because they wanted to spare your oh so tender _feelings! _Well I'm tired of sparing your feelings _brother._ You never spare mine. Oh that's right, you think I have no feelings. Well here's a news flash for you, I _do."_ He let go of Stefan and blurred out the door.

Stefan stared after his brother in shock. Jeremy hesitantly moved closer to him. "Stefan... are you okay?" Tears were welling up in Stefan's eyes and Jeremy didn't know what to do. He quickly turned away but not before Jeremy saw his eyes overflow. "Stefan?"

"Can you just go... please?" Stefan's voice was choked up.

"Yeah..." Jeremy headed out the door after one last worried look back at him.

Damon was angrily pacing back and forth in the woods, his fists clenched, when he heard Jeremy walk up.

"Do you like hurting your brother like that?"

"Mind your own business." Damon growled.

"You made him cry Damon." He paused. "I didn't know vampires even _could_ cry."

Damon rolled his eyes. "We can feel and express any emotions you can. So I made him cry, so what? He's the sensitive one, not me."

Jeremy observed him for a few moments. "He hurt you didn't he? So you wanted to hurt him back."

"You're not a shrink Jeremy, so don't go trying to analyze me."

Jeremy sighed and shook his head. After a moment he left and headed for home.

Stefan was laying on the couch and hiding his face in the cushion when he felt someone gently touch his shoulder. He looked up and saw Elena looking at him sympathetically.

"Jeremy told me what happened."

He sat up and wiped his face while she sat next to him. "I just... I never knew."

"I know." She hugged him and he started to sob softly. "Shhh... it's okay. It wasn't your fault." She stayed with him until he fell asleep.

Elena set out to find Damon, intent on giving him a piece of her mind, but stopped when she saw him. She could tell he was angry, but she could also tell that he was upset. She approached him cautiously, watching him pace.

"Damon?"

"Come to tell me I should go apologize?"

"What happened Damon?"

"Oh I think you know."

"Why did you go off on him like that?"

"Because I'm tired of everyone making me out to be the bad guy! I mean I've been trying to change Elena I really have, but nobody will give me a break but you! He accused me of lying... I never lie. I've done lousy things but one thing I've never done is lie!"

Elena hugged him. "It'll be okay Damon. It just takes time. They'll see it eventually, just like I do now."

Damon hugged her back and sighed. "I won't compel you again. It was just supposed to be a joke you know? Ha ha?"

"I know, and you were mad at me for hurting you. I'll tell the others to lay off of you okay?"

"Thanks." He pulled back after a moment. "At least you see some good in me."

She looked at him seriously. "I always have Damon. Try to make up with Stefan okay? He's really hurt."

"I will if he quits acting all high and mighty with me. I hate that."

"I'll talk to him later, he fell asleep. I should be getting home. Just take it easy Damon. The whole world isn't against you."

"Sometimes it feels like it is, but I'll try to cool it."

"Thank you. I'll call you tomorrow." She headed off.

Damon went back inside and spotted Stefan on the couch. He picked him up and carried him up to his room, laying him on the bed. He sighed and dried his brother's face for him, feeling a little guilty. "We need to have a serious talk tomorrow bro."

He went back downstairs to get his book, even though he knew he probably wouldn't be able to concentrate on it.

To Be Continued...


	16. Chapter 16

I'm sorry it took me so long to post! I was dealing with writers block. Luckily the last episode got my creative juices flowing again.

Post The Sacrifice. Spoilers for that episode.

Chapter 16

Damon practically dragged Elena back to the car and drove in angry silence back to the boarding house while she scowled out the window. Once they were there he pulled her inside and sat down on the couch, pulling her across his lap.

It only took a second for Elena to realize what he planned to do. "Damon don't you dare!"

"Oh I dare." He put his hand firmly on her back to hold her still and landed the first swat to her rear with his other hand and heard her squeak. He was only using a fraction of his strength, he didn't want to injure her, but he knew that for her, it would hurt.

"Damon stop it!" Elena shouted angrily.

"No Elena I _won't_ stop. You almost got yourself killed today!" He kept landing hits to her bottom while she struggled amid her yelps. "We will find a way to save your friends and family, but you sacrificing yourself is not the way!"

"Ow! Damon you jerk! Ouch! It's the only way!"

"No it is _not! _You think you would save us all if you did this? Well you wouldn't, because if you were gone, what do you think it'd do to everybody? What it would do to _me?_ What would keep me from going into the sun and taking my ring off if you were _gone?"_

Elena started to cry and he immediately stopped. He could never bear the sight or sound of her tears. He let her go and she quickly stood up. She glared at him, choking out sobs, and he half expected her to slap him. He was surprised when she suddenly threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Don't ever _say _that! Even if something happens to me I don't want you to die Damon!"

He felt himself soften and hugged her back. "Then don't do it again Elena. Please don't."

"I don't know what else _to_ do." She sniffled and lay the side of her head on his shoulder.

"We'll think of something. I promised Stefan I'd protect you Elena don't make me break that promise." He almost begged.

"Kay. I'll try." She whimpered.

"Good." He pulled her into his lap and rocked her till she fell asleep. He took her home afterwards and lay her in her own bed, scowling when he thought of Jeremy's role of getting Stefan trapped in the tomb with Katherine. He'd deal with _him_ tomorrow.

The next day after school was over Damon practically pounced on Jeremy when he came out of the building. "We are going to talk, and you're going to tell me everything that happened last night."

"Um... okay..." Jeremy looked at him warily but went with him.

Back at the boarding house Damon paced back and forth while Jeremy told him what had went on. "Of all the stupid, idiotic..."

"I didn't want Bonnie to hurt herself." Jeremy looked and sounded defensive as he scratched at the bandage on the side of his neck.

"So you got yourself hurt instead. Do you know how easy it would have been for Katherine to kill you then pull off that ring?" Jeremy looked uncomfortable and shrugged. "You got my brother trapped in there with that bitch!"

Jeremy gulped when Damon suddenly got in his face, blue eyes staring directly into his brown. "I'm sorry. I'm really, really, sorry." Damon looked seriously ticked off.

"Oh you will be. I believe some punishment is in order."

"Are you going to kill me a few times too?"

"Nope."

He moved so fast Jeremy couldn't tell what he was doing, but he felt himself be picked up and his breath came out in a whoosh as his stomach suddenly landed hard on Damon's legs. It took him a few moments to be able to breathe again and them he realized he was laying over Damon's lap. "What the hell..." He felt something land _hard _on his butt. "Ouch! What are you doing?"

"Spanking you." Damon said calmly.

"What?" Another blow landed. "Ahhh!" He tried to get away, but Damon was pressing on his back and his strength was incredible. He realized he was going no where. "Damon come on! Can't we talk about this?"

"Fraid not. You deserve this and more. Be glad this is all I'm giving you."

With that Damon got down to business. Jeremy yelled, kicked his legs, and flung a hand back to cover himself but Damon simply grabbed his wrist and held it to his lower back while he continued without missing a beat. Jeremy tried not to cry, but it really hurt and soon tears were streaming down his face. Not long after that he was sobbing, then bawling, then outright wailing. Just when he thought Damon would never stop, it was over.

Damon waited till Jeremy had calmed down enough to listen to him. "Don't ever do something like this again Jeremy, or next time it'll be with you bare."

Jeremy nodded, his breath hitching. Not daring to sass him right now. "G-got it."

He took him home then, and Jeremy whimpered all the way at having to sit down in the car, but Damon refused to let him lay down in the back. He got out hearing Damon drive away and walked stiffly inside to the kitchen to make an ice pack. Still despite the pain, he knew he _would _do something like that again, if it meant protecting Bonnie. He wiped at the tears still trickling from his eyes and went to lay down on his bed in his room on his stomach.

Damon went to the tomb bringing Stefan some bottled blood and a few books to read to pass the time. Stefan smiled a little when he saw him. "Katherine's asleep."

"Good." He looked at him seriously. "We're going to get you out of there."

"I know," Stefan said simply.

"Stefan... I'm sorry, about what I said before. About you killing Mother... I didn't mean it. I was just angry..."

"I know Damon, it's okay. I was being a jerk to you."

He nodded. "Try not to let Katherine get to you, okay? We'll figure this out."

"Yeah..." He watched as his brother left a few minutes later. He picked up the blood and books and quietly went back to watch Katherine sleep. The problem wasn't Katherine getting to him. The problem was, she already had.

To Be Continued...


	17. Chapter 17

So sorry it took so long. My computer went kaput! But don't worry I have a new one now.

Last chapter was meant to be titled Double Trouble.

Spoilers for By The Light of the Moon and for The Descent

Chapter 17

**Lashing Out**

Damon currently had babysitting duty with Elena, making sure she didn't do anything reckless. He was angry at the fact that she actually had to be spelled so she couldn't leave the house. They were the only ones there. Elena was sitting on her bed looking sulky and defiant.

"You told me that you'd try to let me keep my promise to protect you Elena."

"I lied," she said flatly.

The next thing Elena knew, she was over Damon's lap and he was pulling her jeans down. She gasped. "Damon!" She felt his hand land on her behind hard, her thin panties doing nothing to protect her from the pain. "Ow!" She squawked.

"Never, _ever_, lie to me." He kept going.

Elena was soon in tears, though she tried to keep it back. "Okay I won't! Ow ow ow! Damon..." She sobbed, her legs kicking.

Damon hated hearing her cry, but this was a lesson he really wanted to stick. When she flung her hand back to try to cover herself he grabbed it and held it. "I am _always_ honest with you. Always! The least you can do is grant me the same decency! I swear Elena if you _ever_ lie to me again..." His blows got a little harder at the thought.

"Ow never! No I won't ever! I'm sorry! Please!" She went limp and just cried hard.

Damon landed a few more smacks then stopped. Elena's rear was a bright red and he sighed and carefully eased her pants back up before scooping her up and into his lap. He rocked her until she calmed to sniffles. "How can I trust you if you lie to me? How can I keep you safe if I'm not sure you'll tell me the truth?" He asked sadly.

Elena looked up into his eyes and realized how much she had hurt him. "I won't lie to you again. I promise."

"Good," he said simply.

The things that happened next left Damon's head spinning. Elijah showing up, Jules appearing... at least Elijah got Stefan out of the tomb. He was glad to get his brother back.

But having to put Rose out of her misery after Jules bit her was almost enough to make him lose his sanity. At least he'd been able to make her happy in her last moments.

Getting drunk hadn't been the best idea, killing that girl Jessica even less so. He was now full of guilt that just wouldn't go away. He didn't dare let Elena find out. How could he tell her that he'd murdered another innocent person? What if it made her hate him?

But he just had to confess to _someone_, so he turned to the person who was the closest thing to a best friend that he had besides Elena.

Alaric was surprised to find Damon at his door the next day after he'd answered the knock. He looked like a wreck. "Damon what is it?" He sat the vampire on his couch and listened as Damon poured his heart out to him.

"Do you think I'm a horrible person Rick?"

"No. You shouldn't have killed that poor girl, but I know you were drunk and upset. Plus this is the first time I've seen you actually show remorse over killing someone." He was quiet for a moment before he looked at Damon and said sincerely, "I'm sorry about Rose."

Damon nodded. "I... I just... it should've been me..." He bit his lip suddenly and looked away, blinking hard and fast at the moisture in his eyes.

Alaric was shocked for a minute. He'd never seen Damon look like this before. He'd never thought that Damon could be vulnerable, but he could see his pain. He put his hand on his arm and squeezed gently, then, seeing Damon's eyes spill over he put his arm across his shoulders.

Damon wiped them the tears away quickly, looking embarrassed.

"I'm glad it wasn't you. Things would be boring without you around."

Damon couldn't help laughing a little at that as he looked at him. "Thanks."

Alaric pulled him in closer and let Damon lay his head on his shoulder. He rubbed Damon's arm for a minute. "I didn't know vampires can cry."

Damon rolled his watery eyes. "Why does everyone say that?"

"Maybe because you're such a bad ass?"

"Whatever." He sniffled.

"Just don't wipe your nose on my shirt."

Damon rolled his eyes again and curled up against him. "Thanks for being here Rick."

"No problem, that's what friends are for." Rick grinned for a moment then became serious. "You just had to kill someone you really cared about. It's normal to be upset. It's... human."

"But I'm not human," Damon said sadly.

"I know, but right now you're grieving like one." Seeing him fight back more tears he said. "It's okay Damon, you can cry." Damon turned and buried his face against him and sobbed softly. After about ten minutes he pulled back and wiped his face.

"Don't tell anyone I cried okay?"

"Don't worry, I won't spoil your tough guy reputation," he smirked.

"Shut up Rick," he grumbled.

To Be Continued...


End file.
